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My fabulous Fantasy adventure!

Sail Date:
April 2013

Destination:
Bahamas

Embarkation:
Charleston

I returned from my first cruise ever, less than a week ago and I can't stop raving about it. I was part of a group of 8 ladies, who decided we were going to take a cruise because.............well, why not? A few were experience cruisers, and others like myself were brand-new to the experience. We sailed out of Charleston, which was convenient because that is just a three-hour drive from where we live; no need for airplane travel, just drive to Charleston and get on the Carnival Fantasy for five fun-filled days!

From the time of our arrival until the time we left, we had nothing but the best service. The cabins were small, but the beds were arranged in a way that could accommodate us (there were 3 in my cabin). We didn't spend much time in the cabins anyway; there was too much to do on the ship and on the ports. Cabins are for you to change clothes, shower and get a few hours' sleep, but of course you want them to be clean and comfortable while you're in them and ours More
definitely was. The staff kept us well-stocked with plenty of towels, and our ice buckets stayed full (good as there were no fridges in our cabins). Our cabins stayed clean. Whenever we'd leave and come back, our rooms looked brand new. We took advantage of the free room service twice, and they brought more than we asked for; for instance, I asked for one chocolate muffin and got two. Plenty of hot coffee too.

I loved how you could get food from the Lido Deck no matter what time of day.................sometimes you just gotta have pizza, especially after leaving the dance club at 1 or 2 am. Personally, I let my healthy eating and fitness go because I didn't want to be disciplined while on vacation, but there are plenty of healthy eating options aboard and a gym and jogging track.

I saw young and old, all races and backgrounds, couples, families, college kids on spring break, and groups of friends like our own. I checked the itinerary daily and there were always activities on there that would appeal to a variety of age groups. However, since I was part of an all-adult group, I focused on adults-only activities. I loved the late night comedy show (adults only) and dance club was cool too. The Serenity Deck was a perfect place to unwind with a good book..................this was the adults only "chill-out" spot where you could catch some rays, get a good drink, and enjoy the hot tub or a lounging chair. The Serenity Deck stayed full, however, and I only wish there was more than one because I was only able to find a spot once during the five days I was on the cruise. For adults who are drinkers, alcohol was in abundance. There were bars everywhere and drink specials were easily found. (Of course, there were plenty of activities for kids so their parents could still have grownup fun as well.)

Our ports were Nassau and Freeport. The boat was docked for about 11 hours in Nassau and 10 hours in Freeport, which gave you just enough time to do what you wanted to do and get back on the boat while it was still daylight. I shopped and went to the beach in Nassau, shopped some more in Freeport. I didn't take advantage of any excursions, and I'm glad now I didn't; it's kinda nice to explore and play things by ear with your group when you're on land for just a few hours.

Since there were eight of us in three different cabins, on different parts of the ship, we tended not to see each other all day long, except for at dinner. We chose the "late dining" option, which meant after a busy day of doing whatever, we all gathered together for dinner in the Jubilee Dining Room at 8:15 pm. We had the best wait staff; they not only provided excellent service, they danced for us too. I was very sad the last night when I realized my trip was ending.

We chose the early option for leaving the ship once we returned to Charleston, which meant we didn't check our luggage; we took everything off the boat with us so we could get on the road bright and early and come back home. The process went very smoothly, and we breezed through customs and were back at the van, ready to come back.

I am already ready to book another trip! I highly recommend this for everyone! No cooking or cleaning! No school or work! My cell phone was on airplane mode so I wouldn't have to deal with roaming charges for data or phone calls, so I was unreachable. It felt great! Less

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Cabin review: 6B

It was small but nice! It was an upgrade from our original interior cabin and it was nice to look outside and see the water. They kept the cabin clean and well-stocked with towels and ice for the ice buckets. The towels folded into animal shapes were a cute touch.

Port and Shore Excursions

We took a taxi to Port Lucaya marketplace and did our shopping in the straw market ($10 round trip; taxis are easily available once you step off the ship). The straw market workers were very friendly and more than willing to work out a deal. Much to our surprise, however, we learned that there were better deals on the cruiseship; you could get shotglasses for 88 cents on the boat, compared to $2.50 in the straw markets. However, no straw market worker was willing to sell a shot glass for less than $1.

We did our shopping in the stores that were just walking distance from the dock. Merchants were very nice there as well as the straw market. There we walked to Junkanoo Beach and spent the rest of the afternoon there.